Backcover:

An action-packed Reckoners story from Sunday Times Bestseller Brandon Sanderson that bridges the action in Steelheart with the all new adventure Firefight, in a collectible HB edition.From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Words of Radiance, co-author of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn Trilogy, Brandon Sanderson, comes Mitosis, a short story set in the action-packed world of Steelheart: the Reckoners series, exclusively available in a HB collector’s edition. Epics still plague Newcago, but David and the Reckoners have vowed to fight back. Catch all the action before Firefight, the exciting sequel to Steelheart, hits the shelves.

This was a fun short story. It takes places after the events of Steelheart, but right before Firefight.

There is nothing special or any type of new formula here. Just another Epic comes to Newcago and it is up to the Reckoners to kill him. Well I shouldn’t say just any other Epic comes to town, this Epic does have a connection to the sequel – Firefight.

Our Epic this time is Mitosis – as the short story is so properly named. I won’t say what his superpower is, but by his name it should be pretty obvious to at least guess what it would be. Mitosis comes into town, threatens to kill people unless the Reckoners – Prof and Cody are out of town for this conflict this conflict – come to face him, and that’s the plot.

While at its base, this is just a battle of the Reckoners verse another Epic, there is a little more it than that.

We get to see a little of how things have changed in Newcago since the death of Steelheart; the government, the citizen’s lives, what the city looks like. We also learn a little bit more of how the Reckoner’s are presenting themselves now that everyone knows it was them who killed Steelheart, and what their plans are going to the future. And of course, the main struggle is again trying to figure out what the Epic’s weakness is. It give us a little more glimpse into the mystery that are Epic weaknesses, and the quest to try and figure out what or if there is even a connection at all.

I am currently reading Firefight as I write this, and I can assure you that not reading this short story will in no way hinder you enjoyment of the novel. Mitosis’ name is referenced a few times as a past event that happened, but that is it.

I should also mention that will the hardcover edition I have, after the short story there is little Epic bio section. It is presented in the form of what would be David’s notebooks. It gives art drawings, a little personal bio, and what the Epic’s powers and weakness (if known) are of the three epics from Firefight – Regalia, Newton, and Obliteration. This was my favorite part (I don’t know if this is in the e-book format though) of the short story. I was reading the bios trying to figure out if there was some clue to help explain why each Epic had a certain power or if there a reason for their weakness… I don’t think I made any progress though 😦

I would definitely say read this. It’s not needed to read for Firefight, but it won’t be a waster of money either. I had a good time with it.

David still has all his awesome puns too (one in particular I just loved!).